Publications

the type locality of pan troglodytes vellerosus (gray, 1862), and implications for the nomenclature of west african chimpanzees.	we show that, in 1862, richard burton collected the type specimen of pan troglodytes vellerosus not on mount cameroon, as has been generally assumed, but in gabon. therefore, p. t. vellerosus is not the correct name for the chimpanzee population of western cameroon and southern nigeria, if that population is taxonomically distinct. as first reviser, we choose the name pan troglodytes ellioti for this population of chimpanzees, based on anthropopithecus ellioti named by matschie [matschie p (1914 ...	2009	19034382
genomic tools for evolution and conservation in the chimpanzee: pan troglodytes ellioti is a genetically distinct population.	in spite of its evolutionary significance and conservation importance, the population structure of the common chimpanzee, pan troglodytes, is still poorly understood. an issue of particular controversy is whether the proposed fourth subspecies of chimpanzee, pan troglodytes ellioti, from parts of nigeria and cameroon, is genetically distinct. although modern high-throughput snp genotyping has had a major impact on our understanding of human population structure and demographic history, its appli ...	2012	22396655
attempted predation by nigeria-cameroon chimpanzees (pan troglodytes ellioti) on preuss's red colobus (procolobus preussi) in the ebo forest, cameroon.	we describe the first observation of a predation attempt by nigerian-cameroon chimpanzees (pan troglodytes ellioti) on preuss's red colobus (procolobus preussi) in the ebo forest, cameroon. the activity, which was observed for 15 min, primarily involved 1 chimpanzee and 1 red colobus individual, with a further 2 chimpanzees observing the event. although the behaviour was interrupted when we were detected by the chimpanzees, we believe that this is the first recorded observation of hunting behavi ...	2012	23363592
effects of human presence on chimpanzee nest location in the lebialem-mone forest landscape, southwest region, cameroon.	in several areas of africa, great apes experience increasing predation pressure as a result of human activities. in this study, terrestrial and arboreal nest construction among chimpanzee (pan troglodytes ellioti) populations was investigated in the lebialem-mone forest landscape (lmfl), southwest region, cameroon, to examine the anthropogenic effects on nest location. data on the height, distribution and approximate age of chimpanzee night nests were collected during two 4-week primate field su ...	2013	23406888
apes finding ants: predator-prey dynamics in a chimpanzee habitat in nigeria.	some chimpanzee populations prey upon army ants, usually with stick tools. however, how their prey's subterranean nesting and nomadic lifestyle influence the apes' harvesting success is still poorly understood. this is particularly true for chimpanzees (pan troglodytes ellioti) at gashaka/nigeria, which consume army ants (dorylus rubellus) with much higher frequency than at other sites. we assessed various harvesting and search options theoretically available to the apes. for this, we reconstruc ...	2013	24022711
dietary preferences of a submontane population of the rare nigerian-cameroon chimpanzee (pan troglodytes ellioti) in ngel nyaki forest reserve, nigeria.	we investigated the dietary preferences of chimpanzees residing in a nigerian submontane forest using a combination of fecal analysis, observations of feeding remains, evidence from feeding tools and fruiting phenological data between april 2010 and march 2011. a total of 495 fecal samples were collected in which 52 fruit taxa were identified as having being consumed by chimpanzees, including 22 identified to species level and two identified to genus level. ficus (seven species) was the most com ...	2015	25231641
new tools suggest local variation in tool use by a montane community of the rare nigeria-cameroon chimpanzee, pan troglodytes ellioti, in nigeria.	regional variations in tool use among chimpanzee subspecies and between populations within the same subspecies can often be explained by ecological constraints, although cultural variation also occurs. in this study we provide data on tool use by a small, recently isolated population of the endangered nigeria-cameroon chimpanzee pan troglodytes ellioti, thus demonstrating regional variation in tool use in this rarely studied subspecies. we found that the ngel nyaki chimpanzee community has its o ...	2015	25312510
complete mitochondrial genome of the nigeria-cameroon chimpanzee, pan troglodytes ellioti (primates: hominidae).	chimpanzees are especially suited to teach us about ourselves, both in terms of their similarities and differences with human, and such important similarities and differences have also been noted for the incidence and severity of several major human diseases. in the present work, we report the entire mitochondrial genome of the nigeria-cameroon chimpanzee (pan troglodytes ellioti) for the first time. results shows that this mitogenome is 16,559 bp long and consists of 13 protein-coding genes, 22 ...	2016	25350739
environmental variation and rivers govern the structure of chimpanzee genetic diversity in a biodiversity hotspot.	the mechanisms that underlie the diversification of tropical animals remain poorly understood, but new approaches that combine geo-spatial modeling with spatially explicit genetic data are providing fresh insights on this topic. data about the diversification of tropical mammals remain particularly sparse, and vanishingly few opportunities exist to study endangered large mammals that increasingly exist only in isolated pockets. the chimpanzees of cameroon represent a unique opportunity to examin ...	2015	25608511
chimpanzee population structure in cameroon and nigeria is associated with habitat variation that may be lost under climate change.	the nigeria-cameroon chimpanzee (pan troglodytes ellioti) is found in the gulf of guinea biodiversity hotspot located in western equatorial africa. this subspecies is threatened by habitat fragmentation due to logging and agricultural development, hunting for the bushmeat trade, and possibly climate change. although p. t. ellioti appears to be geographically separated from the neighboring central chimpanzee (p. t. troglodytes) by the sanaga river, recent population genetics studies of chimpanzee ...	2015	25608567
y-chromosome structural diversity in the bonobo and chimpanzee lineages.	the male-specific regions of primate y-chromosomes (msy) are enriched for multi-copy genes highly expressed in the testis. these genes are located in large repetitive sequences arranged as palindromes, inverted-, and tandem repeats termed amplicons. in humans, these genes have critical roles in male fertility and are essential for the production of sperm. the structure of human and chimpanzee amplicon sequences show remarkable difference relative to the remainder of the genome, a difference that ...	2016	27358426
why are nigeria-cameroon chimpanzees (pan troglodytes ellioti) free of sivcpz infection?	simian immunodeficiency virus (siv) naturally infects two subspecies of chimpanzee: pan troglodytes troglodytes from central africa (sivcpzptt) and p. t. schweinfurtii from east africa (sivcpzpts), but is absent in p. t. verus from west africa and appears to be absent in p. t. ellioti inhabiting nigeria and western cameroon. one explanation for this pattern is that p. t. troglodytes and p. t schweinfurthii may have acquired sivcpz after their divergence from p. t. verus and p. t. ellioti. howeve ...	2016	27505066
nesting ecology of a small montane population of the nigerian/cameroon chimpanzee (pan troglodytes ellioti) in nigeria.	understanding nest site choice by chimpanzees has implications for ecology, anthropology, and in the collection of census data, yet it remains controversial. here we provide the first information on environmental factors affecting nest site choice in a montane population of the rare and relatively understudied nigerian/cameroon chimpanzee (pan troglodytes ellioti) in ngel nyaki forest reserve, nigeria. the forest is small, isolated, and visited by researchers, community members, and hunters. we ...	2016	28110325